Because You Only Need A Speck

Of HOPE that is.

God's been talking to me about hope a lot this week. It started at small group Monday night. A woman who had pretty big, real reasons to give up hope shared her story of trust and forgiveness. I was moved. I have a current situation where I just want to get frustrated and give up and walk away and her story stopped those feelings cold. I found myself praying while she spoke that God would show me how to love those that are frustrating me. I felt the Lord telling me to be faithful and have hope that He would guide me.

The second dose of "Have Hope" came this morning in my quiet time. I'm doing a Beth Moore Study and we are on that sweet day that Jesus came back to life and appeared to his disciples and nearly every verse was about hope. If you know Beth Moore studies then you understand the amount of verses this included.

Third lesson on hope came this morning in chapel. Jim Mellado, president of the Willow Creek Association spoke about his near death experience 2 summers ago and how each 'step of survival' illustrated the various steps of hope in our life. It was moving and powerful. He told us hope specializes in dead end situations. While I believe that, I still think I have a good amount of hope without having really experienced what I would consider dead end situations. When you are in those situations it's important to choose the right direction and then just start moving. God will provide more hope as you start moving, He'll provide grace and resources and direction to keep you going...but you have to start moving. Jim asked us "What we were about to give up on?" and I was instantly reminded of the same situations I thought of during small group Monday night.

Okay, okay, God, I get it. Either my hope has been fading and I wasn't aware of it...or God is prepping me for a situation where my hope might be challenged. But I am totally aware that this is my area to mediate on this week...

"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no on can fathom. he gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:28-31